An unconventional summer break

For some, the costs of studying abroad include more than just plane tickets, hostel fees and European bar tabs.

With some study abroad programs in the Southern Hemisphere beginning as early as mid-July, students heading below the equator for fall semester will see their breaks cut in half and formal summer jobs and internships possibly impacted by their academic calendars.

"It does put some barriers in your way, but I don't think they are insurmountable," said Career Services senior associate director Barbara Hewitt, who helps several students every year with similar summer predicaments. "It's hard but certainly not impossible."

The trick, Hewitt said, is to keep an open mind and look for less-traditional internship opportunities.

College sophomore John Blahnik is making the most of his abridged summer break before he leaves for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil at the end of July by seeking a more flexible internship. Though his summer will be a month shorter than usual, Blahnik said that "hasn't messed me up too much."

Non-profit organizations are often more willing to take on students with unusual time constraints, added Hewitt, especially if they work for free, since many organizations are constantly on the lookout for volunteers.

College sophomore Elena Stein plans on spending what's left of her summer before her semester in Capetown, South Africa by working at Ties to the World, a non-profit organization based in Guatemala that helps Latin American orphanages become self-sustaining.

"The silver lining is that for those of us who aren't stuck on the concept of a formal internship, it's a blessing in disguise," said Stein, who will be in Capetown come mid-July. "We're given two months to play with."

Without these unusual scheduling issues, Stein said she probably would have felt pressured to pursue a typical internship - an alternative she doesn't find nearly as appealing.

"You don't get to grow much from internships," she said. "I've gotten a lot more out of things that don't look as good on a resume."

But for those who are seeking to make a buck or participate in more formal programs, the scheduling conflicts can still be a burden.

For College sophomore Christina Grayson, who will also head to South Africa in the fall, the early start date interfered with her plan to study Spanish in Argentina through a non-Penn-affiliated academic program.

Originally intending to spend three months in Buenos Aires to improve her Spanish fluency, Grayson has to cut her stay short by two months with disappointing consequences for her academic goals.

"I know I'll walk away being better at Spanish but not as good as I wanted to be," she said.

But in the end, Grayson decided to truncate her time in Argentina to take advantage of Penn's resources. "Studying abroad while in college is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," she said.

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